


The Crowning Laurel

by Wander Riordan (lferion)



Category: Original Work, SCA RPF, Society for Creative Anachronism RPF
Genre: Competition, Fixed-form, Gen, Heraldry, Mythical Geography, Poetry
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2006-05-06
Updated: 2006-05-06
Packaged: 2017-10-13 05:28:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 460
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/133480
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lferion/pseuds/Wander%20Riordan
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Being a List of the Nineteen Kingdoms of the Known World, from Youngest to Eldest, indicating their principle colors, devices and other elements of note.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Crowning Laurel

The laurel green that crowns the hill  
Of gleaming gold - the graceful trees  
With root and leaf and branches still:  
Now nineteen lands that banner sees.  
Gleann Abhann, swept by stormy seas  
Doth rise a ram with golden crown  
All red and black: no hardship flees;  
That gracious spirit naught can drown.

The Northshield shines with sharp renown  
Maid of th' Mid-realm, true Compass-Star;  
Silver and sable, golden her gown -  
A beacon blazing from afar.  
The Southern Cross the avatar  
Of Lochac, that once-Western ground  
Where rubies, lapis, diamonds are  
Her starry sigils, ocean-bound.

Dawn-drawn Ealdormere, flower crowned,  
The Trillium blooms in blood-red snow  
And Wolf-might wards what vert hath found:  
A land of queens with strength enow.  
Aethelmearc, sibling, set below -  
The Sceptered Gem most sorely tried  
As red and gold her armies go  
To shield their Pennsic plains with pride.

Sweet Artemisia doth abide  
North of the sun: once Aten prize  
And to Estrella's call doth ride:  
Fell, gold and black the griffin flies.  
Keen Drachenwald far distant lies  
A sovereign crown where ages sleep  
As Dragons black ward golden skies  
And scarlet woods their secrets keep.

The Outlands Stag doth summits leap  
All springing gold o'er verdant field  
And from Estrella's sowing reap  
Bright bushels-full of friendship's yield.  
Trimaris, triple blessings sealed  
When she arose from swamp and mere:  
With stars and seas the Triskeles shield  
The farthest reaches without fear.

A stooping Falcon, Calontir,  
In royal purple, crossed with gold,  
Will march forth singing, Heartland, hear,  
Remember wonders known of old!  
The Lion of Antir stands bold  
All crimson-crowned on chequered plain  
As favored foe, once-western hold,  
"The Land" doth flourish in the rain.

Atlantia, anchored on the main  
The East-realm's eldest, argent spun  
On azure waves, white shells contain  
Th'enduring pearls of patience won.  
Next Ansteorra, Aten's son,  
The Black Star rising from the glede  
Where or and sable rivers run  
In rich profusion, might indeed.

The Crescent kingdom, proud Caid  
Commands the isles where dolphins play  
Estrella's four-fold challenge lead  
In argent, azure - harps sing praise!  
Bold black and white, Meridies  
Diversity and union known,  
Hospitable in all her ways,  
Generous hands make great renown.

The Sun of Atenvelt hath shown  
Most hight in honor, stout in war  
And fair indeed the children grown  
From this first princely seat and shore.  
The verdant Midrealm Dragon soars  
Unfathered o'er the crimson pale,  
And on the Pennsic plains doth roar  
With many voices, strong and hale.

Where royal purple doth prevail  
An ancient crown hath stood time's test:  
The East-realm Tyger ne'er will fail  
That sprang entire in honor's quest.  
The victor's wreath that time hath blest  
Embraces art, inspires skill.  
That first took root in the misty West:  
The laurel green, that crowns the hill.

**Author's Note:**

> The names, devices, colors and other interesting or significant aspects of the nineteen SCA kingdoms, placed in order of creation from the youngest to the eldest. This is information relevant and potentially important for any member of the Society.
> 
> This piece was written to be a 'teaching-song' in the sense that all of the above information is presented in a concise and (hopefully) memorable way.
> 
> An earlier version was written as a performance piece to make gift-presentations from the Crowns of the West to the assembled royalty of the (then) other twelve Kingdoms at Estrella Grand Court. Each basket was labeled with the quatrain for that kingdom, and as the Western herald read through the piece, the baskets were presented in order.
> 
> This piece was entered in the Atenveldt kingdom arts & sciences competition, AS41 (May 6, 2006) to demonstrate that "non-fiction" in the usually accepted sense applies to content, not form.
> 
> Form:  
> Stanza form: Ten eight-line stanzas rhymed ababbcbc with stanza linking. The rhyme scheme goes ababbcbc cdcddede ... qrqrrsrs ststtata with the first and last lines being identical.
> 
> Metrical form: Semi-alliterative half lines with predominantly one unstressed syllable between stresses corresponding to the major lexical stress.
> 
> Language: This piece uses a mix of modern and archaic/period language, as well as several period but no longer common grammatical conventions and structures.


End file.
